When Nirjala Ekadashi falls

Dates are computed astronomically against Kashi sunrise.

The significance of Nirjala Ekadashi

Nirjala Ekadashi puja vidhi

1. 1Bathe at dawn on Ekadashi and take the sankalpa of the nirjala fast before the deity.
2. 2Worship Vishnu — as Narayana or Krishna — with tulsi leaves, yellow flowers, sandal and a ghee lamp.
3. 3Spend the day in Vishnu's name: the Vishnu Sahasranama, bhajan, or reading the Ekadashi katha.
4. 4Keep a jagran or an evening of kirtan; the night before Dwadashi is traditionally spent in remembrance.
5. 5At dawn on Dwadashi, bathe, worship again, and give dana — above all water and a filled pot to a brahmin or the needy.
6. 6Break the fast within the Dwadashi parana window with water and satvik food.

Mantra

Vrat rules

• No food and no water from sunrise on Ekadashi until sunrise the next day; this is the defining rule.
• Grains, beans and rice are avoided entirely, as on every Ekadashi.
• The fast is broken (parana) the next morning in the Dwadashi window, after bathing and giving dana.
• The old, ill and pregnant may keep a lighter phalahar fast; the nirjala form is a vow, not an obligation.
• Giving water, earthen pots, hand-fans, umbrellas and sherbet in charity is held to be especially meritorious.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Keeping the strict waterless form when unwell, pregnant or elderly — a phalahar fast is expressly allowed instead.
• Delaying the parana past the Dwadashi window; the fast should be broken within the prescribed time.
• Forgetting the water-daan — giving water, pots, fans and cooling foods in the June heat is the day's defining charity.
• Treating it as any other Ekadashi; this one, kept waterless, is held to carry the merit of all twenty-four.

The vrat katha of Nirjala Ekadashi

Nirjala Ekadashi timeline

1. Sunrise on Ekadashi

   After a bath, the sankalpa of the nirjala fast is taken before Vishnu — no food and no water until the next sunrise.

2. Through the day

   The day is spent in Vishnu's name — the Vishnu Sahasranama, bhajan and the giving of water, pots, fans and sherbet in charity.

3. Night — jagran

   A vigil of kirtan and japa is kept through the night before Dwadashi.

4. Dwadashi parana

   At dawn, after a bath and dana — above all a filled water-pot — the fast is broken with water and satvik food.

Famous places & temples

Interesting facts

• ◆Kept entirely without water, it is the strictest Ekadashi of the year and is said to give the merit of all twenty-four.
• ◆It is called Bhimseni or Bhima Ekadashi after Bhima, who could keep only this one fast in place of them all.
• ◆It falls in Jyeshtha, the hottest, driest month — which is exactly why giving up water is the offering.
• ◆Giving water and a filled pot in charity on this day is held to be among the most meritorious of daans.

Common questions